Raccoon Rescued From Illegal Paw Trap in Longmont

A raccoon was rescued from a paw trap in Longmont on Tuesday morning, and police are seeking information in the incident.

The Longmont Times-Call says animal control's Tammy Deitz responded to 2 incidents in which a raccoon had its paw caught in a chained, cylinder trap. The second raccoon was rescued Tuesday; it was found stuck on a fence across the street from Centennial Park. The first raccoon escaped before Deitz could catch it.

The adult raccoon rescued Tuesday was transported to the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for assessment and heavy antibiotics after detaching the trap which crushed his paw.

Rehabilitator Lea Peshock told the Times-Call she's worried the raccoon will die because of the prolonged lack of blood supply. Because amputation is not an option, they may need to put the mammal down.

Peshock explains that the center isn't permitted to amputate limbs of animals that could one day be released back into nature. Plus, the raccoon wouldn't be able to survive with only one front paw since he needs it to climb trees to get things, says Peshock. Due to the amount of tissue in the trap, she believes the raccoon had been trapped for several days.

According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the type of trap used on the raccoon was banned in Colorado in November 1996. Legal traps in Colorado are boxes or cages with bait inside, which can then be transported alive from the trap site.

The raccoon will remain at the rehabilitation center for a few weeks for recovery.

Police are trying to identify and locate the owner of the illegal traps. If you have any information, please contact the Longmont Police Department at 303-651-8555.